There’s An Awesome Bit of Foreshadowing in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Everybody Missed

Here is something cool that shows just how carefully Star Wars: The Last Jedi was put together by writer/director Rian Johnson. It’s a GIF that compares Rey’s Jedi training early in the film with the final lightsaber battle between Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker at its climax. Essentially, all of Rey’s moves are mirrored by Kyle against Luke when they finally square off (sort of, it’s complicated) on Crait.

It’s not something I noticed myself, and I’ve watched the film numerous times already. So good eye to whoever first found this and put it together.

The fun part is trying to suss out exactly what was meant by foreshadowing this moment. Throughout the film Rey and Kylo are linked via the Force; that connection could have had a subliminal impact on Kylo, with Rey’s moves rubbing off on him without him noticing. If that connection swings both ways could Rey turn Kylo to the light in Episode IX? Could he turn her to the dark? It is fun to consider the implications; this foreshadowing could be foreshadowing much larger than a couple of laser sword swipes.

It’s also worth noting that both Kylo and Rey were trained by the same Jedi: Luke Skywalker. So there may be no special secret bond here. This could all be as simple (and as subtle a storytelling technique) as two people trained by the same teacher fighting with a very similar style. No matter what it means, it’s a very cool moment in an awesome film.